What s yours then? What s yours then? wins awards

Transcription

1 (Award winning) What s yours then? CAMRA Highlands & Western Isles FREE Newsletter Summer2013 Bandstand 100 ales festival report Benleva Springfest report East of Inverness minibus trip report POTY presentations What s yours then? wins awards

2

3 Full Page Advert Half Page Advert Quarter Page Advert There is a discount on placement of your fourth consecutive advert. Adverts are accepted on condition that inclusion does not necessarily imply an endorsement or approval of content. We can help you in preparing your advert if you wish. Please be aware that the CAMRA logo is copyrighted and should not be used in pub adverts. An average of 3,500+ copies are distributed to CAMRA Branch members, to Highlands & Islands brewers, to Good Beer Guide listed and Real Ale pubs; plus extra copies to advertisers. We welcome your letters, news, views and opinions. Let us know what is happening at your local, or tell us about pubs you have visited. Thanks to all who have taken trouble to send in pub and beer reports, or articles, who keep us up-to-date with brews and what is happening in local pubs. Please note that the editor reserves the right to edit contributions sent for publication. Autumn edition deadline is 1 st September, with publication in October. elcome to the Summer issue of our W S ummer is here! As I write this at the end of May, we are enjoying dry, warm and quarterly newsletter. In this edition: > Bandstand 100 ale festival report sunny weather with red skies at night (shepherd s > Benleva Springfest report delight). The highlands are filling up with tourists > Branch POTYs and BOTY presentations from various countries, many of them clued up > Pubs, Breweries and Ale News > Go East & Strathspey Trip report and sensibly seeking out real ale in our numerous > Black Isle pub crawl by bus info hostelries which proudly offer the premium > Cromarty Firth pubs history products of our highland and islands breweries as > Focus on - Kirsty Holland & Andy Dawson > Real Cider News well as well-chosen ales from further afield. > Updated Real Ale Pubs list Nationally, CAMRA is celebrating a major campaigning victory UK government chancellor > Updated Branch Diary If you would like to place an advert, please contact George Osbourne actually listening to common one of the branch officers (see Diary page). sense arguments and abolishing the previous gov- Advertising rates ernment s community and job destroying, beer tax escalator. He even reduced the tax on a pint by 1p not that we have seen a subsequent reduction in the price we are paying for our ale. If anything, prices have risen as the cost of raw materials for brewing have risen. With various other costs inexorably rising and most pub companies still squeezing their leased pubs for every penny they can get, it is estimated that in Scotland, on average, 6 pubs are closing for good every week. As well as full pints, CAMRA is pushing for legislation to loosen the stranglehold of greedy pub companies. CAMRA makes a positive difference and every member should be proud to belong. Cheers, Ed. Trading Standards Office: Contact details for issues such as no price lists or consistent short measures consumer.advice@highland.gov.uk What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

4 Bandstand Beer Festival Who would have thought five years ago there would be a beer festival in the Highlands running for a week which showcased 112 different Scottish & English ales and real ciders? Well, that s exactly what happened in early April at the Bandstand Bar in the Braeval Hotel in Nairn which sold a staggering 10,000 + pints or real ale and cider from 132 casks and boxes, which surely makes it the largest independent beer festival in Scotland run without any help from outside organisations. From its humble? starting gamble of having 50 different real ales on at the same time, Gordon & Morag Holding have developed and fine tuned it over the last five years to the event it is today. A busy week meant that on the last Saturday of the festival the marquee ran dry leaving seven pumps available in the bar- perfect planning!! Despite the huge beer order for the week, another 7 casks were dropped off by Highland Brewery on the Friday to help keep the beer flowing. Locally brewed ales again featured strongly with brews from Cromarty, Windswept, near Lossiemouth and Speyside Craft Brewery in Forres. Our CAMRA Branch Beer of the Year, Cromarty Happy Chappy, was the most popular beer of the week, closely followed by Windswept Blonde. The new beer from Cromarty, Atlantic Drift, was also received very well with the first cask selling out in 90 minutes! Windswept also brewed a special beer for the festival, a 4% hoppy blonde beer which sold very well. Scottish beers which I don t think have been seen in the Highlands before were to be found. Due South and Head East ( an ok 4.2% hoppy fruity bitter) were brews from the Strathbraan Brewery which is on the Crieff road around 5 miles from Dunkeld junction off the A9. From Dundee was Mor Please! from Mor Brewery. This one was right up my street. A great 4.5% best bitter with malty caramel hops and fruit, which I am pleased to hear, also received good feedback from other festival drinkers. Another beer probably not seen too often up here was Seven Giraffes from Williams Bros. Didn t get to try it, but again good feed back from the punters. A new one for me that I did get to try was Jaguar from Kelburn. A 4.5% full bodied golden ale, it had apricot & grapefruit flavours from the hops. It was good to try the new one from Sinclair, Orkney 1878, a full bodied tasty strong bitter which was very easy drinking and tasty despite being too cold as it was in the marquee and subject to normal Highland temperature control even though plenty of heaters had been installed. My token English ale was Wylam Red Kite which was a very good best bitter at 4.5% with a good mix of malt and hops. Most popular English ale of the festival was Shotgun IPA from Gundog Brewery. I saved a couple of stronger (Continued on page 6) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

5 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

6 (Continued from page 4) ones for the end, both marquee ales so a bit cold, but the sublime Sublime Stout from Fyne was as good as ever, sweet and fruity with a good roast bite. I could not leave without having an Orkney Skull Splitter. Not seen in cask that often, this 8.5% Barley Wine was spot on despite being a little cold as it was out in the marquee. On the Saturday I was there, the restaurant was stowed out and people were trying the specials which were made with local produce and created to match some of the ales on offer. The ever popular homemade pies were available at 3, although the heated pie cabinet in the marquee was rather redundant for pie keeping as all the pies seemed to be snapped up when they came in, never to make the cabinet, although it was handy for a warm up when standing close to it. The hunter eyeing up his next prey from a choice of 20! If the beer alone was not enough to keep you entertained there was live music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of both weeks with one of the highlights being the Richie Henderson Band on the first Friday which featured session musicians who were skilled enough to take requests and play! Meet the brewer sessions were held with Ken Duncan from Inveralmond and Ali & Nigel from Windswept imparting their brewing wisdom and stories. The Festival Closing Sunday Barbeque was going to be pulled due to snow on the ground and baltic temperatures but the large crowd of folk that had gathered for the last day insisted it went ahead and enjoyed wild boar sausages and venison burgers. This is now typical of a festival which draws hundreds of people from all over the UK and indeed Europe, with many folk planning a holiday around the festival dates. To top off a great festival, over 1500 was raised for the MFR Cash for Kids appeal which raises money for disadvantaged children in the Highlands & Moray areas. Next year s festival planning is already underway so Gordon is open to any suggestions for featured ales. Plans are also afoot for a smaller festival in the Autumn featuring around 40 ales. Highland Beer Hunter Highland Pubs in CAMRA BEER magazine! Hopefully, all our branch members will have enjoyed the very rare sight of articles featuring the Highlands in national CAMRA publications. In the summer edition of CAMRA s quarterly magazine, BEER, there were not one but two articles and a mention! Susan Nowak wrote effusively about her return trip to The Anderson at Fortrose and Steve Crossland wrote a praiseworthy piece about his local - The Bandstand at Nairn. This included a professionally shot photo of Steve enjoying a perfect pint at the Bandstand bar, in sight of the bandstand on Nairn Links. Fame at last! If you take your copy of the magazine to The Benleva, Steve might be persuaded to add his autograph. (You might have to make a donation to charity first though ) The Benleva was also mentioned in an article about dog friendly pubs. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

7 Enjoy a real ale in one of the most stunning beer gardens in the west coast! Now with three hand pull pumps serving real ales from only Scottish breweries Visit our website: Contact us on: info@plocktonhotel.co.uk Or for whats on tap updates, follow us on What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

8 Loch Ness Springfest 2013 This was a short, weekend beer festival from 18 th to 21 st April, featuring mainly Scottish Brews and celebrating the new refurbishment of the Benleva Hotel, although that wasn t quite finished in time. Beers were from Highland, Cairngorm, Isle of Skye, Inveralmond, Fyne, Cromarty, Elixir, Plockton, Strathaven, Windswept and Wylam plus, of course all the brews from The Loch Ness Brewery. On the Thursday night was Steve s Pub Quiz and the first beer to finish was Wylam Gold Tankard, quickly followed by Highland Island Hopping. On the Friday night the popular group Pinny and the Breakers had to cancel at the last minute, so the very good Coast Road Truckers filled in. It was good to see the three beers from the new Windswept brewery in Lossiemouth their; Wolf, APA and Blonde. On the Saturday the Committee were invited to take part in a brew and throughout the day they popped in to the brewery to see how this went. This brew was all the 7 s - 7 hops (Admiral, Columbus, William, Chinook, Cascade, Citra and Galaxy), 7 grains (Pale, Crystal, Roast, Amber, Chocolate, dark Crystal and wheat) and hopefully, if George gets his maths right, it will be 7%. Now, with the Ness naming of the beers it will be called, wait for it Ness Club Seven I know, some of you will not get it but ask someone in their 40 s. In between brewing there were beers to be tasted and Cromarty s Hit the Lip, Fyne Sublime Stout, Highland Scapa Special, Strathaven Craigmill Mild, Windswept Blonde, Cairngorm Black Gold and Loch Ness HoppyNess were among my favourites. During Saturday afternoon there was a beer and bread tasting table set up in the lounge bar. Elizabeth Brown from bakers Capability Brown had different (Continued on page 9) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

9 breads, cakes and chutney s to taste and buy, all made using Loch Ness beers. On the Saturday night the Benleva s regular (first and third Wed of each month) folk players entertained until closing. Sunday was just a day to try and finish the final beers. The weekend also saw the opening of their new brewery shop. This has been built in the old brewery and sells branded items to do with the Loch Ness Brewery, all their bottles and a small selection of other breweries bottles. The beer of the Festival voted for by the drinkers was Loch Ness WilderNess! The main Loch Ness Beer Festival will be on 20 th to 28 th September 2013, so make plans now. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

10 POTY Presentations The first 3 of our 8 area POTY s have been presented with their awards Steve and Alan receiving their area and Branch POTY certificates at The Benleva Del proudly receives his area POTY certificate with our prospective German CAMRA member at Blackfriars Steve presents Susan, manager of the Kinlochewe, with their area POTY certificate What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

11 Kinlochewe HOTEL What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

12 Another award for Cairngorm Cairngorm Brewery in Aviemore has taken one of the top Awards in the National Beer Competition held by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), announced at the organisation s BeerX celebration of British beer, held in Sheffield this March. The brewery s Black Gold, a former medal winning traditional Scottish Stout was judged Champion Draught Beer and Champion Bottled Beer in the Porters, Strong Milds, Old Ales and Stouts Category, and also won overall Champion Bottled Beer in the competition. It was one of just a handful of beers to win a national award, from around 1,400 that entered the initial stages of the competition. Sean Tomlinson, Cairngorm Brewery Production Director receiving award from Actor Neil Morrissey. Isle of Skye latest With Arran being turned down by the Scottish Government on their first major grant application, the prospect of a merger is still on the table but within no time frame. With this in mind, Isle of Skye Brewery owner, Angus MacRuary, agreed to sell a majority share holding in the brewery to IOSB Holdings Ltd. It's owner, Kenny Webster, brings a great deal of business experience to the brewery and his financial input and wide Bits and Bobs -ranging contacts will enable Isle of Skye to expand on site and increase production and staffing. His other current interests include property and whisky exporting. As of the first of April 2013 Mr Webster became the new Managing Director and Angus became Operations Director. Angus and his wife Pam, who is head brewer, will continue to run the brewery on a day to day basis. A new beer from the Isle of Skye Brewery is Skye Otter Ale which has been brewed to celebrate the 20 th anniversary of the International Otter Survival Fund, which is based in Broadford. There has been some in cask but most in bottles and a donation from the sales will go to the fund. Great Grampian Beer Fest Report The 27th Aberdeen and North East Beer Festival was held between 30th May and 1st June at Pittodrie. 100 beers started the Thursday session with the first cask finishing being Mordue A'l Cherry Pet followed by Peerless Ginja Ninja and Cromarty Hit the Lip but of course these were replaced by a second cask for the Friday session. There were also 18 different real ciders and perry's from England and Wales plus a large selection of foreign bottles. A record attendance on the Friday night meant that there were quite a few beers finished by Saturday. However at Saturday lunchtime there were still 56 real ales (plus some Saturdays specials coming on during the evening), 11 different bottled beers and 8 ciders available. The Champion Bitter Category of Scotland was judged and Isle of Skye Young Pretender was a worthy winner with Scottish Borders Game Bird 2nd and Tryst Brockville Pale 3rd. Food was supplied by the Stadium caterers and the festival charity What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

13 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

14 was Barnardo's Scotland. As the Saturday evening progressed the beers started to decrease but there were still 7 beers left at close. Planning has already started for next year, so look out for the dates around the same time and hopefully at Pittodrie again. GBBF This year s Great British Beer Festival will take place between 13 th 17 th August at London Olympia. With over 800 real ales, ciders, perries and foreign beers to choose from we are sure there will be plenty of choice to suit everybody s taste buds! It is not all about the beer though. There is also plenty of food, live music and pub games to enjoy. Tickets can be bought by calling or visiting If you are feeling lucky then visit where there are plenty of great prizes to win. What Pub Soon after this summer issue of Wyt? is published, a new internet based nationwide pub guide will go live to the general public. CAMRA members up and down the UK can already access What Pub by their CAMRA username and password, and have already contributed to it by inputting details of more than 33,000 establishments. The Highland Region is the biggest administrative region in the UK comprising 10,000 square miles, and only 230,000 people man, woman and child. Committee members from this branch have tirelessly visited nearly all of the 215 places with cask real ale to help contribute to this guide. Pubs, hotels, and even a pub on a barge feature in our listings. We have a glorious selection of establishments in cities and towns, but also in remote locations such as the Cluanie Inn on the road Bits and Bobs from Loch Ness to Kyle of Localsh. Although not on an island, The Old Forge at Inverie can only be reached by boat! We do not know if our southern neighbours in Cornwall, Englandshire, have visited Lands End, but we have certainly visited The Seaview Hotel in John O Groats, which must be the most northerly public house on mainland UK. Each of the 215 real ale outlets are important to us as CAMRA members and to the local communities that they serve. When the website goes live, please visit and see what the Highlands has to offer and visit some of our gems. Our own website, is also a mine of information and by selecting pubs, it shows you where they all are on the map. WhatPub.com is set to go public on 12th September. More Beer Festivals You may notice in the adverts, there are beer festivals on in quite a few of our establishments. The Argyll Hotel has 1 in July and a cider festival in September. The Benleva has their Loch Ness festival in September and there are 3 beer festivals on in October: The Torridon Inn have their, now established beer festival on the 4th to the 6th and The Morefield Motel in Ullapool should have their annual beer festival on the 12th to the 14th. Both have a great mix of local ales on. An Teallach brews a festival special for Torridon. (Phone the Morefield to check dates) The following week, the Duke of Gordon hotel in Kingussie have their first festival. The Tipsy Laird, also in Kingussie, hope to have a festival this year. Lastly, as you will have read, The Bandstand are planning an Autumn beer festival. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

15 Sligachan Hotel, Isle of Skye, IV47 8SW Tel: Centenary Celebrations A unique location in the heart of Skye, Sligachan is a legendary destination for walkers, climbers and discerning travellers. It has been in the same family for 100 years, maintaining its historical ambience, yet providing modern day facilities. Its award winning 350 malt whisky selection and Cuillin Beers is complimented with all day food, using the best of local produce. It is a natural stoppingoff place. We look forward to seeing you! - reservations@sligachan.co.uk Cuillin Brewery Beers handcrafted from the water of the Cuillin Skye Ale now available in Bottles Definitely brewed on Skye Cask Ales also on tap Tel: cuillinbrewery@hotmail.co.uk What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

16 What s Yours Then? wins awards Congratulations to our Newsletter What s Yours Then? after winning Scottish CAMRA s award for most improved magazine, it went on to win the National award at the recent CAMRA Members Weekend in Norwich. This was a joint win with Ales and Tales from the Solway Branch. Peter Finneran was the founding Editor of our Newsletter and back in 2002 when there were very few newsletters in Scotland, it was an excellent 16 page glossy black and white version. Topics of the time were; full pints farce, including a full page letter from Charles Kennedy MP, trips to Isle of Skye and Fort William and Atlas Brewery opening. There were 39 pubs selling real ale in our area and our POTY was The Ferry Boat Inn in Ullapool, taking over from The Clachnaharry Inn which had won the Scottish title the previous year. We even had one Branch Meeting on the lawn outside The Sligachan Hotel on Skye. Due to family commitments, Peter stopped being Editor at the end of Mike Whittall took over with the Winter 2003 edition, still 16 pages which he struggled to fill and 500 copies were distributed. As more pubs stocked real ale and more Breweries opened, Mike was able to increase to 28 pages for the Summer 2004 issue, going up to 40 pages in Autumn In 2009 Mike had an increase in work and family commitments and wanted to pass the Newsletter on. Mike s last was the Winter 2011 edition which had 44 pages and a distribution of 3,500 copies. Gordon Streets took over and did the biggest change of all making it colour with the Spring 2012 edition. Mike Hammersley, with his professional printing background came in to help Gordon with the set up and the latest edition was a bumper 52 pages and 3,500 were distributed. Gordon said I could not have done it without the foundation of Mike s good work to build on and the very experienced help that Mike Hammersley put in. Thank you to all our advertisers who enable us to publish up to 4,500 copies and distribute near and far. Thanks also to all the regular contributors and to the numerous one- off accounts of visits to our area. Congratulations to Gordon and his predecessors Mike and Peter for giving up so much of their spare time to give the Branch an excellent Newsletter. There are now around 200 real ale pubs and 10 breweries in our Branch and yes, a topic still around is. full pints. E.M. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

17 at Roy Bridge Tel: Real Ales on Tap Open all day, food & drinks available all day Substantial Bar Meals Menu available all day Range of Malt Whiskies and Fine Wines, an Open Fire and a Warm Welcome A popular Rendezvous for Inn Guests, Outdoor Enthusiasts and Local Regulars alike stay@stronlossit.co.uk the finest steaks in town! The Steakhouse is already a well-established favourite with local diners. A wide choice and grills available for dinner. Open every night: 5.30pm pm The Steakhouse Restaurant, Dalfaber Golf & Country Club, Aviemore What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

18 As was announced in the Spring issue, our branch Beer of the Year was a clear winner. Cromarty Brewery s Happy Chappy was well received from the early days when it first appeared in pubs in our area. Over the past 18 months, Craig Middleton has worked hard to ensure it is available in many outlets in our area. During this time Your editor (and Cromarty BLO) presenting Craig with his winner s certificate in front of one of his new tanks which appropriately enough, contained Happy Chappy ready for racking in to casks. it has consistently delivered a tasty treat to all who try it. Happy Chappy has gained the accolade of being the regular ale on in most pubs on the Black Isle and in a couple of pubs in Inverness. It previously gained the award of Beer of BOTY the Festival at last year s Great Grampian Beer Festival in Aberdeen. Following on from what was mentioned in the Brewery Updates article, Craig has completed expanding his production facilities by adding 4 more fermenter/conditioning tanks which are allowing him to brew more often and provide supplies of ale for bottling well as making it a bit easier to keep up with demand for casks and some kegs. Such has been the demand for beer, that the new brewery shop didn t have anything to sell when we visited! While we were there, an experimental brew, in conjunction with a brewer who used to work at Black Isle brewery but now lives and brews in France, was completing it s conditioning. It didn t have a name but the brown, 2% ale was wonderfully tasty plenty of roast, almost liquorice notes, balanced nicely with a bit of hop bitterness amazing for a small beer. If it appears at a bar near you, it s well worth a try. Stop Press: (It s called 2 Craigs and is available in bottle in Tomlinson s Beer Shop.) Clachnaharry Inn - changes again We are sorry to hear Mike MacCulloch has moved on from the Clachnharry Inn. During his short tenure, Mike had managed to get the pub back to its roots of being a good, honest local serving a good range of Scottish ales and down to earth, good homemade pub grub. Thanks Mike and good luck for the future. In May, a new tenant took on the lease and so far has only tweaked some aspects so Mike s improvements carry on. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

19 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

20 Hi, We had 4 days on Skye in May to do some Munro bagging, did not make it up the In Pinn due to strong wind on Wed and snow on Thursday. Feedback on Beer as follows: Sun 12 - Kintail Lodge Hotel Just one pump with Red Cuillin - 4. They say they get through 3 or 4 nine s a week and have beer on all year. Mon13 - Sligachan 2 beers on, 2 pumps unused Cuillin Eagle OK but not a very interesting beer Cuillin Pinnacle A bit more about it then the Eagle Tue 14 th Sligachan Pinnacle ran out and was replaced by another Cuillin beer. Had only been changed last night so they seem to be getting through it! Then a third beer came on. Cuillin Eagle - 2 Cuillin Skye - 3 Liked this one Northern Light This was good! Wed 15 th Olde Inn Carbost Isle of Skye Young Pretender - 4 Cuillin Black Face - 3 Cuillin Eagle - Not tried Thu 16 th - Taigh Aileen, Portnalong Both beers were rather cloudy, a bit cold, but tasted OK Skye Gillian A special blend for the hotel. Skye Hebridean Gold - 2 Olde Inn - Carbost Skye Young Pretender - 4 Cullin Black Face - 3 So back next year for another go! Cheers Jon, Edinburgh Hi, Just to let you know we discovered yesterday that the Kylesku Hotel now has 4 handpumps! We wrongly stated they had 2 in the Focus article; that was last year. They currently have Skye young pretender (4) and Red Cuillin (4.5!), An Teallach Ale (not sampled) and Suilven (4.5). Considering we were 2nd through the door soon after they opened, the temperature was spot on. Andy & Kirsty New Highland Wetherspoons In early May The Great Glen opened for business in Fort William. Presumably, it offers the usual benefits of a Wetherspoons pub good value food and drink. the Old Bridge Inn - Aviemore Roaring log fire, cheerful atmosphere, excellent food and fine selection of wines, cask ales and malt whiskies. The varied menus, featuring the very best of Highland produce from river, sea and land, are carefully designed to tempt every palate. 23 Dalfaber Road, Aviemore, PH 22 1 PU Tel: (01479) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

21 Blackfriars Highland Pub & Restaurant Great Beers Traditional Highland Food with Seafood Specials Meals cooked to order using freshly prepared local produce Scottish & Highland Real Ales & Cider on tap Open all day, 7 days a week Food served every day from 11am until 9pm Academy Street Inverness Tel: Regular Live Entertainment Check website for details: What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

22 A romantic! weekend in Fort William A voucher deal for two nights at the Ballachulish Hotel which lies just outside Fort William on the banks of Loch Linnhe seemed just perfect for a weekend away in April. Unfortunately my wife was struck down by a virus and on the Friday she magnanimously said Don t waste it, why don t you go with Arnie (the Branch s Social Secretary). After a swift call to the hotel to change the sleeping arrangements from a double to twins (we may be pals but we re not that close!!) I rang Arnie who did some swift shift juggling at his work to wrangle the time off. An early evening start meant we were able to call into the Good Beer Guide listed Stronlossit Hotel in Roy Bridge on the way down. It was good to catch up with owner Maurice who confirmed that sales of ale now warrant keeping three handpulls going all year round. We both had the Jarl from Fyne which was very good (3.5). Also on were Three Sisters from Atlas and Cairngorm Tradewinds. His regular stocking of Cairngorm beers meant we were able to reinstate the pub as a LocAle outlet, as this was lost when Atlas brewing moved to Orkney from Kinlochleven. Our next stop was just before Fort William where we went up to the Ben Nevis Inn, another GBG listed pub, which is ideally situated for a well earned pint after coming off Ben Nevis. Three ales were on here and the place was busy with evening diners. We had the River Leven Blonde (3.5) and the An Teallach Crofters (3.5). Also on was Isle of Skye Red Cuillin. If you do find yourselves here be sure to check out the unique weather forecasting stone. Leaving the Inn we then drove through Fort William and onto the hotel in Ballachulish. A quick enquiry at the desk found we could get to the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe by taxi for around 11. Ten minutes later we were on our way to this iconic real ale Highland pub. I remember when I first visited 30 years ago and still living just outside London, how happy I was to find a true real ale oasis in a desert of fizzy beers. How lucky are we now with ales so easy to find? It is still a welcoming climbers and hill walkers bar with stone floors for muddy boots and stoves to help warm up and dry off. A great range of Scottish ales on offer we had An Teallach Beinn Dearg (3.5), River Leven Dark (3.5), Cairngorm Caille (4), AnTeallach ale (4) and Williams Midnight Sun (4). After a hearty Scottish buffet breakfast at the hotel we got the bus into Fort William. Into the GBG listed Nevisport where we had Arran Blonde (2) and Isle of Skye Hebridean Gold (4). Also on was the house beer from Isle of Skye, Tower Ridge and Orkney Dragonhead stout. Walking to the other end of the high street we saw the new (now open) Wetherspoons being fitted out. We skipped the nearby Ben Nevis Inn as there was just Deuchars on, an Orkney ale can normally be found here. Into the Grog & Gruel where we presented them with their area Pub of the Year Award for Fort William & Lochaber. Another great choice of beers we had Cairngorm Caille (4), River Leven IPA (3.5), a new beer from Isle of Skye called Thistle & Fern (4) which had been brewed by their New Zealand brewer Jonty and an excellent Hector stout (4) from An Teallach. Being Grand National day after a quick trip to the bookies we went to Crofters bar to watch the race. The place was packed, easily the busiest pub in FW with a warm welcome and some good banter. The down side was we had the last pints of Caledonian Flying Scotsman before it ran out but the quality was excellent (4). The other down side was all our horses got nowhere. A couple more pints in the Grog before getting the bus back to Ballachulish. Also worth a mention is the delicious steak & black pudding pie from the local bakers and the fish supper from the chippy half way along the high street as man cannot live on beer alone. An excellent, if beery weekend, special thanks must go to my very understanding and generous wife! GNH What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

23 In the spring edition of the newsletter we made some mistakes regarding An Teallach in the Breweries Update article. The brewery started in 2001 and not 2003 as we stated. The original 5bbl length brewery was upgraded fourteen months ago to a 10bbl plant and also had five additional fermenters installed to cope with demand. A bad choice of words and a lack of communication, gave the impression that the brewery was not doing as well as before. This is not the case and we apologize about how this came across. The brewery is experiencing excellent growth, well ahead on previous years and the beers can be found widely across the Highlands, in excellent form, as we said in the last newsletter and also from reports in this edition. In addition to finding them locally they are also to be found in Perth & Edinburgh as well as making their way down to the Borders four times a year. The brewery was taken off the market in March and can be contacted on or atale1@yahoo.co.uk Well done to our Highland Brewers Congratulations to our breweries for a fine performance in the CAMRA Champion Beers of Scotland 2012 awards. Champion Bitter- An Teallach Beinn Dearg Champion Old Ale- Isle of Skye Black Cuillin Champion Stout- Cairngorm Black Gold Champion Specialty- Cairngorm Tradewinds Add to that our near neighbours, Strong Bitter- Highland St Magnus, Barley Wine- Orkney Dark Island Reserve gives northern breweries six winners from eleven categories. Listed in the Good Beer Guide for the 6th year. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

24 Visit the Black Isle Pubs by bus In many parts of the UK, there are Ale Trails you can follow by rail or bus to visit a good helping of pubs in one day. Due to the size of the Highlands, and the frequency of public transport, this can present a challenge. In the first of an occasional series, we are suggesting tours of pubs, this time, to the Black Isle. Bus Service 26 leaves stand 5 at the Inverness Bus Station. You are advised to pick up or download the timetable to check on Mon-Fri / Sat / Sun timetable at (select timetable / Inverness / service 23, 26, ) Service 26 only operates as far as Fortrose before returning to Inverness. Service 26A and C (and B at some times of the day) all travel as far as Cromarty and essentially there is an hourly service Monday to Saturday. The last bus leaves Fortrose at 21:47. There is a much later one at 00:34, well after most pubs have closed. As with most of the Highlands, there is a very limited service on a Sunday. You can buy a Zone 3 day-rider ( 10.50) which allows you to travel from Inverness to Cromarty. Zone 3 also includes Drumnadrochit, so you could travel from there, changing at Inverness, at no extra cost. If you do not want to visit as far as Cromarty, then for Fortrose, you need only get a Zone 2 ( 5.75). As a bonus, three adults can travel for the price of two when buying tickets as a group of three (or multiples thereof) it makes for an inexpensive and pleasant day out. Pub Location Opening Times Telephone (Mon - Sat) Sun Cromarty Arms Cromarty 11:00 12:30 (01381) Royal Hotel Cromarty 11:00 11:00 (01381) Plough Inn Rosemarkie 11:00 12:30 (01381) Anderson Fortrose 16:00 15:00 (01381) Station Avoch 11:00 12:30 (01381) Allangrange Arms Munlochy 11:00 12:00 (01463) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

25 Scourie Hotel Scourie, Sutherland, IV27 4SX Tel: FAX: Cask Ales and Real Cider are served An ideal base for game fishing, hill-walking, bird watching (Handa Island is nearby), or exploring the famed empty quarter of Western Sutherland, a lunar landscape of lochs and mountains. Overlooking Scourie Bay and with views to the distant tops of Ben Stack, Arkle, and Foinaven. To connoisseurs of game fishing there is simply nothing to compare to the 25,000 acres of Loch, River and Hill Loch fishing held for the guests of Scourie Hotel. The Hotel has 36 fishing beats held exclusively for guests, plus 3 beats on Loch Stack and Loch More for sea trout and salmon. Additional salmon fishing is taken on local salmon rivers. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

26 These Inns and Hotels are known to sell (or to have recently sold) cask-conditioned ale. Please let us know about the quality of real ales on offer, particularly if you think Good Beer Guide inclusion is merited. We make no claims as to the quality of the beer, and you should note that some of the pubs listed may only stock real ale on a seasonal (S) basis. (TP) - served by using top pressure. We have taken the liberty of listing some pubs which fall within adjoining Branch Areas - Glasgow & West of Scotland (G&WS), Aberdeen & Northern Isles (A&NI) - but which are not very far from our "border" and merit a visit. Inverness & District North Allangrange Arms, Munlochy The Anderson, Fortrose Aultguish Inn by Glascarnoch Dam Benleva Hotel, Drumnadrochit Clachnaharry Inn, Inverness Castle Hotel, Portmahomack Conon Bridge Hotel Cromarty Arms Culbokie Inn (S) Glen Affric Bar, Cannich Glenmoriston Arms Hotel, Invermoriston Inchbae Lodge Hotel, Garve Loch Ness Inn, Lewiston Loch Ness Lodge Hotel, Drumnadrochit Palace Hotel, Inverness Plough Inn, Rosemarkie Royal Hotel, Cromarty Slaters Arms, Cannich Station Hotel, Avoch Steading Bar & Restaurant, Kilmartin (S) Struy Inn, Strathglass, near Cannich Waterfront, Inverness Inverness & District South Bandstand Bar, Braeval Hotel, Nairn Blackfriars, Inverness Bothy, Fort Augustus The Caledonian, Inverness Caledonian Hotel, Fort Augustus (S) Castle Tavern, Inverness Cawdor Tavern, Cawdor Cheiftain Hotel, Inverness Corriegarth Hotel, Inverness Dores Inn Real Ale Pubs List The Exchange, Inverness Golf View Hotel, Nairn (TP) Heathmount Hotel, Inverness Hootananny, Inverness Innes Bar, Inverness Inverness Airport Café bar Johnny Foxes, Inverness (TP) Kings Highway, Inverness Lauders, Inverness Lock Inn, Fort Augustus Lovat Arms Hotel, Fort Augustus Nico s Bar, Glen Mhor Hotel, Inverness Number 27, Inverness Old Mill Inn, Brodie (A&NI) Phoenix Bar, Inverness Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Inverness (TP) Snowgoose, Inverness Tomlinson s Beer Shop, Inverness Whitebridge Hotel, Loch Ness South Fort William & Lochaber Alexandria Hotel, Fort William Arisaig Hotel, Mallaig Ben Nevis Bar, Fort William Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William Ben Nevis Inn, Fort William Clachaig Inn, Glencoe (G&WS) Chlachain Inn, Mallaig Cobbs at Nevisport, Fort William Corran Ferry Hotel, Onich Crofters Bar & Restaurant, Fort William The Eagle, Laggan Locks (S) (An inn on a barge on the Caledonian Canal) Four Seasons, Onich Glenfinnan House Hotel The Great Glen, Fort William Grog & Gruel, Fort William Glen Nevis Restaurant & Bar Glenuig Inn, Lochailort Glenuig Village Hall Ice Factor, Kinlochleven Invergarry Hotel Kings House Hotel, Glencoe (G&WS) Laroch Bar, Ballachulish (G&WS) Lochailort Inn (TP) Loch Oich Restaurant/Bar, South Laggan Loch Leven Hotel, Ballachulish Loch Shiel Hotel, Acharacle MacDonald Hotel, Kinlochleven Mamore Lodge, Kinlochleven (S) Moorings Hotel, Banavie Old Forge, Inverie Old Station Restaurant, Spean Bridge Onich Hotel, on A82, by Loch Linnhe Steam Inn, Mallaig Stronlossit Hotel, Roy Bridge West End Hotel, Fort William West Highland Hotel, Mallaig Aviemore & Cairngorms Ben Macdui, Aviemore Boat Hotel, Boat of Garten Craig Bar, Grantown-on-Spey Cairngorm Hotel, Aviemore Cairn Hotel, Carrbridge Croft Inn, Glenlivet (A&NI) Dalfaber Country Club, Aviemore Duke of Gordon Hotel, What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

27 Kingussie Glen Avon Hotel, Tomintoul (A&NI) Glen Hotel, Newtonmore GlenMore Lodge, Nr Aviemore Haigh Hotel, Cromdale Highlander Inn, Craigellachie (A&NI) Kingussie Golf Club Loch Insh Boathouse, Nr Aviemore Lodge Hotel, Newtonmore (TP) Mash Tun, Charlestown of Aberlour (A&NI) Muckrach Lodge Hotel, Dulnain Bridge Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore Pine Marten Bar, Glenmore Seafield Lodge Hotel, Grantown-on-Spey Silver Fjord Hotel, Kingussie Real Ale Pubs List Suie Hotel, Kincraig Typsy Laird, Kingussie Winking Owl, Aviemore Wester Ross Applecross Inn Arch Inn, Ullapool Argyll Hotel, Ullapool Aultbea Hotel Badachro Inn (TP) Ceilidh Place, Ullapool Summer Isles Hotel, Achiltibuie (S) Drumchork Hotel, Aultbea (S) Dundonnell Hotel Ferry Boat Inn, Ullapool Glendale House, South Erradale (S) Kinlochewe Hotel Lochcarron Hotel, Lochcarron Millcroft Hotel, Gairloch Morefield Motel, Ullapool Myrtle Bank Hotel, Gairloch (S) Old Inn, Gairloch Seaforth Bar & Restaurant, Ullapool Steading Cafe & Restaurant, Gairloch (S) Strathcarron Hotel Tigh-an-Eilean Hotel, Shieldaig Torridon Inn North Skye & Hebrides An Lanntair, Stornoway??? Bakur Bar, Uig Bosville Hotel, Portree Borrodale Hotel, South Uist (S) Carlton Tavern, Stornoway Dark Island Hotel, Benbecula (S) Edinbane Inn Ferry Inn, Uig Flodigarry Hotel Highland & Western Isles area winner since 2007 Magical places do exist... just journey down a narrow winding road that leads to the sea and nestled in a charming hamlet is the very place of your dream: the Stein Inn. An eighteenth-century inn on the sea shore that will have you yearning to visit again and again to experience the warm Scottish welcome, fine food, superb accommodation, traditional highland bar offering real ales and over 125 malt whiskies. Angus & Teresa McGhie, Stein Inn, Waternish, Isle of Skye, IV55 8GA Tel: +44 (0) angus.teresa@steininn.co.uk The finest and freshest seafood and local produce is readily available transformed at the Stein Inn into mouth-watering, home-cooked dishes. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

28 Harris Inn, Tarbert (S) Isles Inn, Portree Langass Lodge, North Uist (S) Lochmaddy Hotel, North Uist The Lodge at Edinbane Mote Bar, Hotel Hebrides, Tarbert (S) Old Schoolhouse Restaurant, Dunvegan (S) Royal Hotel, Portree, Skye Stein Inn, Waternish, Skye Tigh Dearg Hotel, Lochmaddy, North Uist Uig Hotel, Uig Westford Inn, North Uist South Skye & Lochalsh Ardvasar Hotel Clachan Bar, Dornie Claymore, Broadford Cluanie Inn, Glenmoriston, A87 Dunollie Hotel, Broadford Glenelg Inn, Glenelg Real Ale Pubs List Hebridean Hotel, Broadford Isle Ornsay Hotel Jac-o-bite Restaurant, Kintail Kinloch Castle, Rum Kintail Lodge Hotel Old Inn, Carbost Plockton Hotel, Plockton Plockton Inn, Plockton Saucy Mary s Lodge, Kyleakin (S) Sconser Lodge Hotel Sligachan Hotel (S) Skye (Closed November to February) Taigh Ailean Hotel, Portnalong Caithness & Sutherland Achness Hotel, Rosehall, Lairg Alexander Bain, Wick Altnacealgach Inn, nr. Ledmore Junction (S)??? Bay Owl Restaurant, Dunbeath Belgrave Hotel, Helmsdale Ben Loyal Hotel, Tongue The Caberfeidh, Lochinver Castle Hotel, Dornoch Castletown Hotel, Castletown Central Hotel, Thurso Commercial Hotel, Thurso Crask Inn, by Lairg Dunroamin Hotel, Bonar Bridge Eagle Hotel, Dornoch Holburn Bar, Thurso Inchnadamph Hotel (S) Invershin Hotel Kylesku Hotel (S) MacKay's Hotel, Wick Norseman Hotel, Wick Scourie Hotel, Scourie Seaview Hotel, John O Groats Sutherland Inn, Brora Tongue Hotel Trentham Hotel (S) Ulbster Arms Hotel, Halkirk The Weigh Inn, Scrabster, Thurso Open noon (12.30pm Sunday) 3, to 3pm and from 6pm to 10.30pm; closed Saturday lunchtime. Food served 12.30pm to 2.30pm and from 6pm to 9pm each day (closed Sat lunchtime). 3 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

29 Go East & Strathspey trip 27th April Leaving Inverness for 1st outing of the year, a jolly around the Strathspey Area, starting at the Snowgoose followed by Inverness Airport to take us to Nairn and Grantown-on-Spey. Lovely sunshiny day. The new manager of the Snowgoose had arranged to open the doors for us at 11, - they open at noon. Much appreciated. They were closing the next day for a 5 day refurbishment and redecorate. 1st stop Snowgoose Harvieston Natural Blonde 4% (2.5) Adnams Krystal White 4.2% (3.5) 2nd stop Inverness Airport, D'lish Bar Cairngorm Stag 4.1 (3.5) Cairngorm Tradewinds 4.2 (3.5) The D'lish bar is situated in the main terminal building. It seems a pity that the spacious departure lounge with ample seating can t get the benefit of real ale. Yours truly would be found there every time a trip to Holland was on the cards. 3rd stop Cawdor Tavern % Dark Island 4.6% (3.5) Latitude 3.6% (3.5) Golden Amber 4.5% (an easy 4.5) And onto the house of Sinclair, and some Orkney beers. The Tavern makes for a lovely place in a lovely setting, especially with the weather being favourable. The Dark Island was very drinkable, as was the Latitude. Unfortunately the 1878 had finished, but a wonderful Golden Amber was put in its place. This example of GA scored an easy 4.5, nearly perfect!!! On top of this, manager Mandy made us feel very welcome with a plate of marvellous sandwiches. Norman came through to have a good chat with us. 4th stop Bandstand in Nairn Bottlenose (Speyside Craft Brewery) 4.1% (3) Ossian 4.1% (4) Sharps's Doom Bar 4% (3) Broughton Spring Ale 3.5% (3.5) Windswept Wolf 6% (3.5) Windswept Blond Extra Hopped (4%) (4) As usual we were made very welcome in the Bandstand with Gordon on good form bringing out some untapped beers to try, like Windswept Blonde and Barney's Volcano ( with the same amount of Sulphur as mount Vesuvius). The beers on tap were in great shape with the Wolf drawing gasps of ecstasy from Gareth, and the less vociferous amongst us praising the Windswept and Ossian 5th stop Old Mill Inn, Brodie Killellan, Houston (3) Winswept APA (3) Burglars's Dog, Gundog Brewery (3) Wildcat, Cairngorm (untried) (3) Venturing over the border into A&NI branch territory. Wonderful place, in a wonderful setting. We actually managed to have a few halves in the garden outside. During our visit the Wylam IPA was put on (4), lovely. Thanks also to Kevin for the real chips and rolls. By the time you read this, Kevin will have held his first Real Ale Beer Festival in June. Hope it went well. 6th stop Craig Inn Windswept Wolf (6%) (3) Tradewinds (4.2%) (3) A quaint little pub in Grantown-on-Spey. One would guess that the owner has a past association with the RAF because the pub walls are covered in pictures of planes, a plain spotter's paradise. The beers are not actually fed from a cellar, but instead are unchilled on the bar, thus gravity feeding one's glass. They do seem to be popular however, judging by the fact there were two more casks of Tradewinds ready to go. We also used the time to try the famous Craig Bar pies. And they did not disappoint. 7th stop Boat Hotel, Boat of Garten Tradewinds (4) Fantastic setting, next to a station on the steam rail way, and a classy place, just a shame about the price of the beer, 4.60 for a pint. The hotel was busy with diners so we couldn t stay in the bar area and shifted to an adjacent space. The beer was of very good quality, but there was only one on, with the 2nd handpump waiting for the tourist season to rise so onwards we went, to our last stop. 8th stop the Cairn Hotel, Carrbridge Cromarty Red Rocker (3.5) Cairngorm Wildcat (4) Unfortunately we arrived at the Cairn Hotel during wedding festivities, which made the bar seem very small. We used the time to hand Gareth his certificate, (photo in next issue Ed.) and try a few halves of Red Rocker. As always, a good pint and a good atmosphere, and a worthy place to finish off our inaugural trip east which saw 4 'new' pubs receive an official visit. Some might ask if it was useful to visit the airport, but they sell real ale, so we would be amiss had we not made an attempt to sample the product. And as always a big thank you to Sandy, our trusted driver, who, we are glad to have back as he has decided to renew his PSV license. A.S. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

30 The Torridon Inn The Torridon Inn is now open full time for the Summer! Come and try our new 2013 menu featuring An Teallach beer battered haddock & chips and our Black Gold steak pie. In the bar, we are all pumped up with 5 ales on the go, the perfect opportunity to make use of our beer bats. Don t forget about our festivals in October!! Real Ale Festival 4 th, 5 th & 6 th Walking festival 12 th, 13 th, & 14 th For more information about accommodation, live music and the real ale festival Please visit our amazing new website Website: Tel: info@thetorridon.com The Torridon Inn Annat, By Achnasheen IV22 2EY What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

31 Highlands & Islands Brewers in 2013 Isle of Skye Brewery - Based at Uig, by the Western Isles ferry terminal, brewing since December Ales include Red & Black Cuillin, Young Pretender Hebridean Gold, and Blaven. Seasonal, House, and special event ales are also brewed. (merging with Isle of Arran) Valhalla Brewery - Most northerly brewery in the UK, brewing on Unst since December Ales include White Wife and Auld Rock. Black Isle Brewery - Started brewing in December 1998 in converted farm buildings. Ales include Red Kite and Yellowhammer. Organic ales are a speciality. Much enlarged, new brewery opened Isle of Arran Brewery - Located close to Brodick Castle. Opened in late March Ales include Blonde, Dark, and Sunset. (Merging with Isle of Skye) Fyne Ales Brewery - Based in Argyll, at the head of Loch Fyne, brewing started on St Andrew's Day Ales include Piper s Gold and Maverick. Brewery expanded in Cairngorm Brewery Company - Set up in late Ales include Trade Winds, Wildcat, Stag, Highland IPA, and Black Gold. Seasonal ales are regularly brewed. Expanded in 2011 and expanding again. Hebridean Brewing Company - Based at Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. Brewing since January Beers include Islander Strong Ale, Berserker Export Pale Ale, and Clansman Ale (first ale ever brewed in Stornoway). (Beers are becoming difficult to find.) River Leven Brewing in one of the old Alcan smelter buildings in Kinlochleven since An Teallach Brewery - Moved to the family s croft, near Dundonnell, in March Ales include An Teallach Ale, Beinn Dearg Ale, and Crofter s Pale Ale. Greatly expanded in Islay Ales Co Ltd - Established in an old Tractor Shed in Bridgend, in March Ales include Finlaggan, Black Rock, and Dun Hogs Head; plus seasonal brews. Cuillin Brewery - The brewery was born on 10 th September 2004, in the old public bar of the Sligachan Hotel. Skye, Eagle, Pinnacle, Black Face, and Glamaig Ales are brewed. Highland Brewing Company - Located in the old Swannay cheese factory at Birsay, on Orkney Mainland. Ales include Scapa Special, Orkney Blast, Dark Munro among others. Sinclair Breweries Ltd - Formed in 2006 by local hotelier and restaurateur Norman Sinclair, who purchased the Orkney - which originally commenced brewing in 1988 at the Old Schoolhouse in Sandwick on Orkney mainland and Atlas Breweries. Ales regularly brewed include Three Sisters, Latitude, and Nimbus from Atlas; plus Raven Ale, Dark Island, Red MacGregor, and Skull Splitter from Orkney. Much expanded in (see advert) Glenfinnan Brewery - irregularly brewing on a 4 bbl plant since October Regular brews are Glenfinnan Gold, The Standard Ale, and Glenfinnan Dark (for the Winter). Colonsay Brewery - First brews in March IPA, 80/- and Lager (Limited real ales). Plockton Brewery - The first brew was produced on 1 st April Crags Ale and Starboard IPA may usually be found in Plockton, and at other local outlets. Oban Bay Brewery - Brewing since mid barrel brewery attached to Cuan Mor. Old Inn (Gairloch) Brewery litre microbrewery. First brews in February (see advert) Loch Ness Brewery - First brews in September RedNess, HoppyNess, Dark. Etc. New, bigger brewery in (see advert) Cromarty Brewery - First brews in December Happy Chappy, Brewed Awakening, Red Rocker, Hit The Lip, AKA. Increased brewing kit in early Brewery shop now open. Spey Valley Brewery a nano brewery started in 2012 producing 5 cask conditioned real ales found round and about the Keith area. Windswept Brewery started commercial brewing in 2012 in the Lossiemouth area. Blonde and Wolf are proving popular. Speyside Craft Brewery started commercial brewing at Forres in Bottlenose is main ale. Not all of the breweries listed are in our branch area: the Highland Brewing Co, Valhalla, Orkney, Spey Valley, Windswept and Speyside are all in the Aberdeen, Grampian & Northern Isles area; the Arran Brewery falls in the Ayrshire & Galloway area; while Fyne, Islay, Colonsay & Oban Bay Breweries are covered by Glasgow & West Scotland. Similarly for Highlands & Islands pubs listed in the GBG, pubs in Orkney and Shetland are submitted by the Aberdeen, Grampian & Northern Isles Branch, and the Clachaig Inn somehow falls within the Glasgow & West Scotland branch area! What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

32 Focus on.. Kirsty Holland and Andy Dawson Kirsty and Andy live in Kinlochbervie on the North West coast of Scotland. Q. Where are you originally from? K; I m originally from just outside Chester. A; I was born in Redruth in Cornwall. Q. Why/when did you move to the Highlands? K; I ve lived in Kinlochbervie for nearly 16 years now. A; After commuting for 4 years from Wiltshire where I was working, I moved up here permanently 2 years ago. Q. Why move to the North West of Scotland? K; It started off with a 6 month Work Experience placement at the Salmon farm in Scourie as part of my degree. I just fell in love with the area and couldn t wait to leave Edinburgh and return north. A; I moved to Sutherland to be with Kirsty although this is not my first time living North of the border; I have also lived in Morayshire and Fife. Q. How were you introduced to real ale? K; Without realising the difference between various different beers I have always been naturally drawn to a drink with taste and real flavour so even in my student days I was drinking real ale and not alco-pops. A; Growing up in the South West of England I favoured cider over beer or lager. I moved to the Midlands to train at the start of my career in the RAF and got a taste for mild and bitter. It seemed a natural progression to search out traditional cask beer which had much more flavour and character than keg versions. Q. When and why did you join CAMRA? K; On meeting Andy, he introduced me to CAMRA and the joint membership scheme about 6 years ago. A; I discovered beer festivals first and confess to not having heard of CAMRA, I came across the membership stand at GBBF (sometime in the mid 90 s). A very nice chap there happened to mention a discount for entry to other beer festivals and a monthly copy of What s Brewing which had a section listing when and where they were, as perks of joining. Sold! I have been a member ever since. Q. What are your favourite beers/styles? K; I like my beer to have lots of depth of flavour. I m not a massive fan of a very hoppy beer. I generally go for stouts and porters and am a big fan of Belgian beers especially the sour Lambics and Krieks from Cantillion. A trip to Bruges has left me hooked! A; I have to confess that there really aren t many styles of beer that I don t like, although I have come across the occasional brewery s beers that are not to my taste. The great thing about the spectrum of Real Ale is that there is something for everyone and every mood. From Fullers Mighty Atom at 2.8% for a light tasty refreshing lunchtime or post work wet, to Westvleteren 12, one of the 6 Holy Grail Belgian Trappist beers that has to be searched out, savoured, contemplated and discussed; is it really the best beer in the world? I couldn t possibly say, haven t tried them all. Yet! Q. Where is there to drink real ale in your area? Kinlochbervie its-self is sadly lacking in a real ale establishment so we tend to go through to either the Scourie hotel or the hotel at Kylesku. Although both hotels are only open seasonally, the Scourie hotel bar is open all year and keeps at least one hand pump on. At Kylesku real ale has What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

33 really taken off and throughout the summer an excellent pint can always be found. Slightly further afield is the Caberfeidh in Lochinver which generally has a hand pump from Skye brewery on. We generally make a pilgrimage down to Ullapool at least once a year for the Morefield beer festival and take in some of the other ale establishments there. We stayed at the Argyll Hotel last time, good beer, good breakfast and best of all dog friendly so we were able to take Rusty. Q. What hobbies/interest do you have? Q. Favourite film? K; Oh dear, sorry, it has to be Dirty Dancing. I d be lying if I tried to play it cool and said anything different. A; I don t really have a favourite but probably most watched would be Crocodile Dundee closely followed by the Die Hard series; they re never off the telly. Lock Stock, Snatch and Layer Cake would be amongst my favourites that I own on DVD but I also have to admit to owning Jean De Florette and Manon Des Sources complete with subtitles. K; I m often found in the kitchen baking. But if the weather is good, and sometimes even when it s not, I like to be outside dog walking, out in the hills or on the water in my sea kayak. A; I like to be outdoors too, hill walking, running, mountain biking and kayaking although I have taken some time out recently with a knee injury. I passed my Radio Amateur Foundation license last year and have recently managed to acquire a radio and get on the air. Q. What is your favourite song/singer/group? K; I listen to a wide variety of music. Everything from classical through to Muse and Adele. A; Like beer, there isn t much I don t like in the way of music, although I can t say that modern jazz works for me and what is opera all about? Listened to a lot of Queen, Black Sabbath, Led Zep etc. in my youth, now I tend towards Blues artists, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, Eric Bibb and Keb Mo. Can t beat a Saturday night in Blackfriars (Inverness), when Twisted Blues are playing. Q. Favourite book? K; That s a hard one. I was a voracious reader as a child and wish I had more time for it now. I have far too many cookery books but fiction wise I like a good murder mystery. A; I love a good manual! I m currently trying to get my head around HF antenna theory (more over my head) and the operators manual for my new radio. The Haynes manual for my Landover is fairly well thumbed too. Q. What is your favourite part of Scotland? K; A lot of family holidays as a child were spent on Orkney. My father s brain-washing worked as it is without doubt my favourite place to visit and I think I could very happily live there. A; I love the West Coast the more rugged and remote the better. I think the landscape, quality of the light and constantly changing weather reminds me of home, Cornwall. Del Graham 50 s, 60 s, 70 s and country singer / entertainer all venues. Also available as duo for weddings with top class box player gteaninich@aol.com What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

34 The Kings Highway Church Street, Inverness IV1 1EN Facebook; King s Highway 10 pumps serving at least 5 ales from all over the UK and our 2 regulars, Deuchars IPA at 1.99 and Greene King s Abbot. Regulars include Houston, An Teallach, Strathaven, Orkney, Cairngorm & Traditional Scottish Ales. Also, Weston s Old Rosie cider. Meet the brewer evenings each month see notices near bar Open at 7am for breakfast with kitchen open until 10pm every day. Get a free pint of ale with any steak or burger at any time, or with a curry on a Thursday, or a roast on a Sunday or a deli item Monday to Friday lunchtimes. Rooms available too best rates at Find us on Facebook; King s Highway. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

35 Cromarty Firth State Management District Scheme (a bit of history about some of the pubs in our area) For a large part of the 20th Century, production, supply and sales of beer in three parts of Britain was subject to State control. Prior to the Great War there were rumblings about tightening up the control of liquor and bringing it under state control so as to engineer temperance into society. This notion was spreading worldwide. Alcoholism was generally regarded as.the enemy from within In 1913 the Cromarty Firth began its evolution into an important naval base and the home of the Northern Fleet, crews would come ashore in their thousands. There was also a large civilian workforce associated with the port that was also well paid. Within days of Britain going to war with Germany on 4 August 1914, the Defence of the Realm Act was passed which gave sweeping powers over day to day life all over the UK. These measures put restrictions on public houses close to sensitive locations such as naval dockyards where the military authorities had powers to determine licensing hours in, or near, any defended harbour. Under the Act, it was illegal to cause a member of HM forces, defending a railway, dock or harbour, the intention of making them drunk whether or not on duty. The high levels of disposable income brought..greater unaccustomed affluence to various parts of Great Britain. Drunkenness increased,.. (Hansard) Drink also brought about a considerable degree of absenteeism which impacted on the war effort. David Lloyd George said that..drink was doing more damage to the war effort than all the German submarines put together. The next year, these measures were further extended under the Defence of the Realm (Liquor Control) Regulations 1915 to tightly control the sale of liquor in three areas, Cromarty Firth, Gretna with Carlisle and Enfield Lock to curtail excessive drinking The Cromarty Firth was included because of the naval base and in (Continued on page 36) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

36 (Continued from page 35) addition, sea mines were manufactured on the site which are now warehouses for the Dalmore Distillery near Alness. The other two areas were responsible for a considerable volume of munitions production their locations had been chosen because the sites were out of range from aerial attack from Zeppelin raids or costal bombardment. The Central Board of Control was established by the Home Office and compulsorily purchased all but a few of the licensed premises and prohibited the sale of liquor by any establishment in those areas by anyone else. In addition, in January 1916, four breweries in the Carlisle area were also bought to supply the state tied houses. In 1917 Maryport Brewery, and its tied houses were added to the list of now 400 state controlled premises. Many of the pubs in the Carlisle area and four of the five breweries were subsequently closed, to maintain quality control. Several measures were put into place which acted together to drastically reduce beer consumption and drunkenness. Specifically, around the Cromarty Firth, the new measures included:- Control of Liquor Supply and Sales The Store behind The Royal Hotel in Invergordon re-supplied all of the CFSMD and even a blended whisky called Rare Old. Accounts suggest that rather than travelling by road, Cromarty was supplied by boat. Unfortunately, The Royal Hotel is no longer there and was burnt down in The site is now a garage. The Cromarty Firth State Management District (CFSMD) covered Cromarty, Balblair, Culbokie, Conon Bridge, Dingwall, Evanton, Alness and Invergordon and included eleven hotels, five public houses and three off licences. Interestingly, the Nigg Ferry Inn, owned by General Ross, was omitted. Subsequently there was nowhere one could get a drink or buy a bottle out with the (Continued on page 38) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

37 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

38 (Continued from page 36) government outlets and no premises could sell liquor without a licence, and licences were only issued by The Home Secretary. It was still possible to buy liquor at a restaurant as a part of a sit down meal, but measures were put in place so that this opportunity could not be abused. Applications for liquor licences had to be made to The Home Secretary and were normally turned down, the reason given that there were sufficient opportunities locally. Trading Hours Another way to restrict the sale of liquor was to limit the opening times. Local Licensing authorities had no say in the matter because liquor licences and licensing hours were set by the Central Board of Control in London. The pubs could only open between 12 and 2:30 and had to close during the afternoon, opening again at 6:00 but then closing again at 9:00, or in many cases 8:00, and could not open on a Sunday unless it was Christmas. The afternoon closing later became standard across the whole of the UK. Punishments for anyone breaching the law were very severe and could mean up to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour, and 100 fine. Disinterested Management Landlords no longer had any incentive to encourage people to drink because they themselves were waged and their income was guaranteed and not as a function of the profits or volume of liquor that they sold. Essentially, they were civil servants. The theory of disinterested management to curb the eagerness of the landlords worked. However an unfortunate side effect was that some landlords made little or no effort in making their premises attractive and there are accounts or rude and unwelcoming landlords. Although no instances could be found in this area, there were many pubs in the Carlisle area which were summarily closed because the action of the landlords made them so unpopular. Production Before the Great War, brewers had begun to use cheaper alternatives to replace home grown barley which included rice, maize and sugar. All of these ingredients were imported, including cheaper foreign barley, which impacted the UK growers and production of barley in the UK fell. At the outbreak of the war the import of these raw materials that the breweries now depended on was threatened by enemy naval action. Breweries were told to cut back production, and to brew beers of a lower gravity which needed less barley. With the State controlling (Continued on page 40) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

39 Old Inn Ad What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

40 (Continued from page 38) the Carlisle Brewery this was easily accomplished, but the measures were also forced on other breweries to do so. Good Beer Guide since types of malted barley photo from nwedible.com Additionally, because of enemy action on shipping, the once active export market dried up quickly. Although during the Great War there was a significant reduction in beer production in the UK, in Germany production was initially cut by 50%, then to 25% of its pre - war rate to preserve grain for bread making. In Austria, the malting of barley was outlawed completely, and in France the sale of Absinthe was banned Cost To further dissuade drunkenness, the duty on all liquor was trebled which doubled the price of a pint. With the State controlling costs, it was able to set the maximum cost of a pint of beer for all beer sold in the UK at 4d (1.6p) a pint for beers up to 1036 which was nicknamed (Continued on page 41) Highlands & Western Isles Pub of the Year 2008 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

41 Cawdor Nairn IV12 5XP Located just outside Inverness in the picturesque conservation village of Cawdor, serving modern Scottish food with flair. Log fires. Outside drinking & dining. Quality, home-cooked food. Lunch pm (Sun pm) Dinner pm Follow A96 from Inverness to Nairn, take B9090 to Cawdor village (Continued from page 40) t: e: Government Beer because at 2% abv it was so weak, and stronger ones up to 1042, 5d (2p). In many cases the state could still sell a pint cheaper than other breweries. The economy came from the transportation costs from supplying pubs very close to the brewery in the case of Carlisle and Gretna. In the CFSMD, the beer was not Government Beer, but came from a local brewery and was made to a similar strength. Favours The buying of favours or rounds was made illegal between 1916 and You could only buy a drink for yourself. Punishments were harsh. A barmaid was fined 5 and the landlord, who was ill in bed at the time, 3. Policemen in plain clothes would often try to trick a landlord into selling more than one drink. Although the great war ended in 1918, the measures ceased to have the urgency associated with war production and instead began to be seen as a positive good for the communities in which they operated and became known as The (Continued on page 42) What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

42 (Continued from page 41) Carlisle Experiment and The Scheme and the justification became a continuing experiment in social engineering. The Scheme continued, and in 1921 The Central Board of Control was dissolved and its powers were passed onto the Home Secretary and the Secretary for State in Scotland respectively. Carlisle and Gretna which had once been one area of control, was split into two separate areas because the Scottish border ran through it. The abolition of state control was regularly raised in Parliament and over the years it always seemed to be allowed to continue although the Enfield Lock Scheme did return to the private sector in Having seen a continuing positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the community and promoting the active work of the people during wartime there was a notion that the benefits of this regime might be continued, and indeed form a model for other areas. After WW2, the new towns were being built around the country as a part of relocating the population after many cities had been bombed and the slum clearance programme was underway. Under the 1949 Licensing Act, pubs in these new towns immediately fell under state control. This was short lived because the new schemes became (Continued on page 43) Open all day, food served all day, a great range of Real Ales At the top of Castle Street, Inverness, overlooking the River Ness at the start/finish of the Great Glen Way Tel: What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

43 (Continued from page 42) unworkable and the legislation was repealed in Although the navy became less dependant on the Cromarty Firth, the construction of the aluminium smelter and other industrial development in the area was a persuasive argument for continuing and indeed expanding The Scheme. When Parliament debated it on one occasion there was a suggestion that CFSMD should be handed over to the Highlands and Islands Development Board. Interestingly, unlike many other state controlled industries, The Scheme was actually profitable and contributed to the exchequer with a return of about 4% on capital. However industries at the time were returning 10% and as such this venture was seen as only marginally so. Eventually, under the Conservative government of Edward Heath, the matter was debated in Parliament and on 20 April 1971 when the vote was taken, it put in place the end of State Control. The six hour debate itself was lively and because many members of parliament were involved in commercial brewing there was an accusations made that.. the Tories are selling the pubs off to their friends because they contribute to Tory funds. It was not until the end of March 1972 that the pubs themselves were sold at auction in six lots and were bought by breweries with existing tied houses. Presumably, some of the lots might then have been further split up and sold on into private hands. The Brewery in Carlisle was sold to T&R Theakston of Masham, Yorkshire. Occasionally the odd item of cutlery, teapot or furniture turns up in the area still showing the initials SMD. S.U. Plastic glasses for all? You may have heard in the news recently that the Highland Licensing Board want to introduce plastic/polycarbonate glasses into all late opening premises. Currently all late opening nightclubs, i.e. those that trade after 1am are required to serve drinks in plastic glasses after 9pm. The proposal is for all late opening venues to comply with this rule. Another case of nanny state politics? The Board itself admits that there are no statistics held over incidents of "glassing" but obviously the incidents when they do occur can cause serious injury. The Highlands are a safe and welcoming place and these incidents are so rare does it really need this rule change? What a poor message to send out to visitors and nearly all the residents of the Highlands. However for our real ale pubs I don't think anything will have to change as I can only think of one outlet that trades after 1am and is therefore considered "late opening". Reading the proposal all pubs that do not open beyond 1am are not late opening premises and therefore it should be glasses as normal. Let s hope common sense prevails. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

44 Traditional Cider Matters Real Cider and/or Real Perry is sold (or has recently been sold) in the following inns & hotels. (Please note that some may be seasonal outlets). Please let us know if you find additional outlets selling real cider or perry. The Anderson, Fortrose - Thatchers Heritage Cider Eagle - Inn on the Loch, Laggan Locks - Thatchers Original Cider Stronlossit Inn, Roy Bridge - Thatchers Cheddar Valley Cider Strathcarron Hotel - Thatchers Cider (rotated with cask ales) Glen Hotel, Newtonmore - Westons Old Rosie or 1 st Quality Cider Benleva Hotel, Drumnadrochit - Westons 1 st Quality Cider all year round, plus good selection of real ciders for September festival Scourie Hotel - Two Westons Ciders on handpump King s Highway, Inverness - Real Cider will be on draft during their 2 beer festivals each year Alexander Bain, Wick - Westons Old Rosie & Organic Draught Vintage Cider; Thatchers Heritage & Dry Cider Badachro Inn - Westons Cider is served here Argyll Hotel, Ullapool - Westons ciders from the box Altnacealgach Inn, nr Ledmore Junction - Mike & Kate are giving some thought to serving a real cider. (This outlet is For Sale so best to check.) Tel: Torridon Inn - Westons Ciders are served in the bar. Kinlochewe Hotel, at the foot of Beinn Eighe, is serving Westons 1 st Quality Draft Cider Clachaig Inn, Glencoe - Westons cider on hand pump. Bandstand Bar, Nairn - Westons ciders on handpump plus wider selections at their festivals. Grog & Gruel, Fort William - Thatchers Heritage cask cider. On tap for as long as sales make it viable - could be all year round but unfortunately sales usually drop dramatically during winter months. Glen Affric Bar, Cannich - serving Westons Cider after requests from hill-walking customers. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

45 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

46 ARGYLL HOTEL ULLAPOOL Quality independent bar, restaurant & hotel in the vibrant fishing village of Ullapool on the shores of Loch Broom SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL JULY CIDER AND BLUES FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 4 hand pulls and several real ciders on tap In the Good Beer Guide since 2010 Wester Ross Pub of The Year 2011 & 2012 RESTAURANT Highly rated restaurant serving local produce: Seafood - Ullapool hand dived scallops, langoustine & smoked salmon, Highland steak & venison, fresh Wester Ross salmon Fine wine list, cocktails Breakfast * Lunch * Dinner ROOMS Newly refurbished ensuite rooms with views across Loch Broom LIVE MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT Monday Folk Club, Americana Tuesdays, Texas Hold Em poker Wednesdays, Thursday Quiz & Curry Night, Live Acoustic Music Friday & Saturday Nigel & Franner are always glad to welcome CAMRA members to The Argyll and offer a 10% discount on regular room prices on presentation of membership card ARGYLL HOTEL 18 ARGYLE STREET, ULLAPOOL, IV26 2UB STAY@THEARGYLLULLAPOOL.COM What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

47 Branch Diary (meetings start at 7.30 pm) (all welcome) All these events are open to CAMRA members and non-members, including committee meetings. * Not all events are necessarily organised by CAMRA. This diary is as much about the local real ale scene as it is about CAMRA branch activities. July Tuesday 9th Committee meeting Cairn Hotel, Carrbridge Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th Scottish Real Ale Festival, Edinburgh. Tuesday 23rd Minibus trip, Evening Jolly around the Black Isle. Book a place with Gareth. Meet at Inverness townhouse at 6 pm 26th to 28th The Argyll Summer Beer festival * The Argyll Hotel, Ullapool August Tuesday 14th Committee meeting Cawdor Tavern 13th to 17th Great British Beer Festival Olympia, London Tuesday 13th Committee Meeting The Glen Hotel, Newtonmore September Tuesday 10th Branch members meeting Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore 13th to 15th The Argyll Cider and Blues Festival * The Argyll Hotel, Ullapool 20th to 28th Twelfth Loch Ness Beer Festival * Benleva Hotel, Drumnadrochit Saturday 21st meet 2 pm Branch Social at Loch Ness Festival October Your local CAMRA branch.. Protect your pleasure! Become actively involved with your local branch. We need your help! Not a massive time commitment, just an hour or two will help our small committee in supporting the local publicans and brewers who together provide us with such a wonderful range of real ales to enjoy. Please see our regularly updated on-line diary at highlandcamra.org.uk Our web site features; an elegant, photo-led design; Interactive Pub Map; Archive of Awards; Links to current CAMRA campaigns; Twitter feed; Blog; link to Whatpub.com to submit your beer scores. Go to highlandcamra.org.uk.. Needs YOU! Gareth Hardman (Secretary & Branch Contact) , Scorguie Gardens, Inverness, IV3 8SS. contact@highlandcamra.org.uk or Secretary@highlandcamra.org.uk Contact Details Friday 23rd 5 pm Tasting Evening social, Clachnaharry Inn 4th to 6th Torridon Inn beer festival * Tuesday 10th Committee Meeting The Bandstand, Nairn Saturday 14th Minibus Trip to Ullapool and West poss, incl Morefield Festival * Book a place with Gareth. Meet at townhouse at 10 am Eric Mills chair@highlandcamra.org.uk Gordon Streets news@highlandcamra.org.uk What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

48 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

49 What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

50 Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA needs your help in surveying the pubs in our massive Branch area. To tell us which pubs are worth considering for the Good Beer Guide, use CAMRA s 6-point NBSS (National Beer Scoring Scheme) to record Beer Quality. The info you give us helps us judge which outlets could go in to The Good Beer Guide, which outlets merit an award of area POTY and Branch POTY and which of our local beers merits the award of BOTY. It s easy! What do the scores mean? 0 - No cask ale available. 1 / 2 - Undrinkable. Beer so poor you have to take it back or can't finish it. 1 - Poor. Beer that is between barely drinkable and drinkable with considerable resentment. 2 - Average. Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing. 3 - Good. Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again. 4 - Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition. 5 - Excellent. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely. Simply us which bar, the beer(s) and your scores plus any real ale and real cider news to our Branch Contacts (see Diary page). CAMRA members can use the new website: whatpub.com Log in to it using your normal CAMRA login details, search for the pub and then fill in the boxes on the form on the right side of the web page. You can do this for any pub in the country. Thanks! What s yours then? is a quarterly newsletter produced by the Highlands & Western Isles Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. The views & opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor, CAMRA, nor its Branches. Drink in a Real Ale Pub? - Rate the Beer! We hope you have enjoyed reading our Summer newsletter. Unless you intend to keep it for some reason, please DO NOT throw it away. Why not pass it on to a friend, or just leave it in a pub somewhere for others to read. Newsletters are often found many miles from source! The next edition will be out in October. Thanks to our advertisers for making publication of this newsletter possible and our wonderfully helpful local breweries that help distribute it. What s yours then? Newsletter of Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - Summer

51

52